Vegan Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Creamy Pesto

Silky cashew cream and basil pesto go into this crispy panko topped, totally vegan, and 100% delicious spaghetti squash casserole!

Spaghetti squash has a reputation for being boring. You know what I mean...like a sad substitute for spaghetti.

I get it! When I want spaghetti, I want the real deal.

The thing with spaghetti squash is that you have to love it for what it is: a sweet winter squash with great texture. You need to take advantage of that texture! For example, bake it into a casserole. The stringiness of spaghetti squash is perfect for a creamy casserole like this one.

Ingredients You'll Need

• Spaghetti squash. Pick a good one! It should feel heavy and have a solid, dark yellow color. Spaghetti squash is in season during the fall, so this is the best time of year to buy one.
• Raw cashews. These will be the base for your creamy sauce. Make sure they're raw, as roasted cashews will mess up the flavor of your casserole.
• Pesto. You can use store-bought vegan pesto, such as Amore brand, or whip up a batch of homemade vegan pesto.
• Non-dairy milk. Use a variety that's unflavored and unsweetened. Rice milk, almond milk, cashew milk and soy milk are all good options.
• Flour. This recipe was developed with all-purpose wheat flour, but I suspect that other varieties such as gluten-free flour would work.
• Nutritional yeast flakes. Look for these in the natural foods aisle of the supermarket. They'll add cheesy flavor to your casserole.
• Salt.
• Panko breadcrumbs.

How It's Made

The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you'd like to skip right to the recipe!

Start by roasting your spaghetti squash. Simply pierce it a few times with a knife, then stick the whole thing in the oven.

Make the sauce while the squash roasts: blend soaked raw cashews with pesto, non-dairy milk, flour, nutritional yeast and salt in a blender or food processor. Be patient, as this can take a few minutes, particularly if your blending device isn't super high-powered.

Let the squash cool a bit when it's done, then cut it open and scrape out the flesh. You'll want to discard the seeds and peel.

Combine the stringy flesh with the sauce, place it in a baking vessel.

Sprinkle panko breadcrumbs on top and bake the squash until they're browned and crispy.

Let your vegan spaghetti squash casserole sit for a bit before you dig in.

Leftovers & Storage

Leftover vegan spaghetti squash casserole will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days.

More Vegan Casserole Recipes

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4 from 1 vote

Print

Vegan Spaghetti Squash Casserole with Creamy Pesto

Silky cashew cream and basil pesto go into this crispy panko topped, totally vegan, and 100% delicious spaghetti squash bake!

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Servings 4

Author Alissa

Ingredients

• 1 medium spaghetti squash
• ½ cup raw cashews soaked in water 4-8 hours and drained
• ¼ cup  + 2 tbsp. pesto
• 1 cup milk of choice use something unflavored and unsweetened
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ¼ cup panko

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375. Poke a few holes in squash with a knife and bake for 1 hour, or until easily penetrated with a knife. Remove and allow to sit until cool enough to handle.
2. While your squash is cooling, prepare sauce by placing cashews, pesto, milk, flour, nutritional yeast and salt into blender or food processor bowl. Process until well blended.
3. Spray medium cast iron skillet or baking pan with cooking spray.
4. Cut squash in half. Remove seeds. Now for the fun part: take fork and scrape out the insides.
5. You should get a bunch of nice spaghetti like strands. Place these strands in your skillet (or baking pan, but I'm partial to the skillet), then add sauce. Mix everything together, right in the skillet. So easy.
6. Top with panko and bake for about 35 minutes, or until nicely brown. Allow to sit for a few minutes before digging in.